Carrying package



Nov. 20, 1956 c. L. CLAFF ET AL CARRYING PACKAGE 2- Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 14, 1953 Fig. I

INVENTOR. CLARENCE LLOYD CLAFF CARL A. MOELLER Fig. 2

ATTOR NEYS 1956 c. CLAFF ET AL 1,23

CARRYING PACKAGE Filed Oct. 14,- 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. 4

Fig.3

ATTORNEYS United States Patent CARRYING PACKAGE Clarence Lloyd Clalf and Carl A. Moeller, Randolph, Mass., assignors to M. B. Clatr & Sons, Inc, Randolph, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application October 14, 1953, Serial No. 386,033 1 Claim. (Cl. 229-45) The present invention relates to a carrying pack or carton having means for securing a nestingly fitted cover thereto and provided with handle means to enable the carton to be carried conveniently. More specifically, but by no means exclusively, the invention is applicable to shoe cartons and the like, wherein the carton may effectively serve as the carrying container without requiring supplementary wrapping and tying.

The size and shape of a given carton, and the selection of the side or sides to be provided with covers, are principally determined by the nature and dimensions of the contents for which the carton is designed. The distribution of the weight Within the carton is determined both by the nature of the contents and the orientation thereof within the carton.

In providing carrying means for the carton, it is desirable to utilize that position which permits easiest control while offering a minimum of obstruction to the movements of the one carrying the article. For example, an oblong carton such as shoe box is ordinarily preferably held with the sides of greatest area in the vertical position. In many instances, the effect of the foregoing factors is that in the optimum carrying position of the carton, a considerable portion of the weight of the contents may bear upon the cover, tending to remove or to open it.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide means for securing the cover of a carton so that it may be effectively retained on the body portion against the stress exerted by the weight of the contents while the carton is being carried.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a carton suitable for use alternatively as a storage container or as a carrying parcel having suitable handle means.

An additional object is to provide, in a shoe carton or the like, carrying and securing means which neither protrude out of the carton nor detract from its appearance while it is serving as a storage container, thus permitting a number of such cartons to be closely, regularly, and efficiently stacked together.

With these and other objects in view, as will hereinafter appear, a feature of the invention resides in a carton structure including a body portion having integral outwardly protrudable elements or tabs. These tabs may be so positioned as to permit a suitable tie to be passed over the cover after the latter has been received onto the carton, the tie being then tucked under the tabs to secure the cover to the side walls of the said body portion. Alternatively, the tabs may be arranged to enter slits in the cover side walls, thereby providing direct engagement without the aid of a tie.

According to another feature, the tabs may be adapted to form anchor means for securing the end loops of an elastic band or the like stretched over the cover. By appropriate arrangement of the tabs, it is then possible to cause the band to exert a force not only in the direction in which the cover is received onto the body portion,

but in the direction at right angles thereto, whereby the 2,771,236 Patented Nov. v20, 1956 ice normal pressure of the cover side walls against the outer surfaces of the body side walls is increased. By this means, the elastic band serves a dual function in securing the cover onto the carton.

According to still another feature, the cover may be hinged upon, or completely detachable from, the body portion, as dictated by considerations of display, economy of manufacture, interchangeability of covers and body portions, or other considerations.

A further feature of the invention involves the provision of handle means, either integral with the body portion of the box, or in an insert which in storage may be laid fiat against the side or bottom of the box. Said handle means may comprise protrudable elements normally disposed in a plane and adapted to be bent outwardly to form a convenient carrying grip for the carton when it is to be transported by the purchaser or user.

These and other features will be more clearly understood by reference to the following description, to the appended drawings, and to the specific definitions thereof in the claims.

Fig. 1 is an oblique view showing the body portion of a first embodiment of the carton in condition for use as a storage container;

Fig. 2 is an oblique view of a covered carton of the type shown in Fig. l, in the carrying position;

Fig. 3 is an oblique view showing the body portion of a second embodiment of the carton;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a handle insert for use with the body portion of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a view showing cover upon the body portion of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a view of an assembled carton according to the embodiment of Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 shows an alternative form of handle; and

Fig. 8 shows the handle of Fig. 7 as assembled with the body portion of a carton.

Referring to the Figs. 1 and2, the body portion 12 of the carton may be fabricated of any suitable material, and has a bottom and four sides secured together along the intersecting edges, leaving one side open. Opposing side walls 14 and 16, preferably but not necessarily the longer sides, have one or more tab cut-outs l3 uniformly displaced from the rim of the body portion. Each cutout consists of a slit 20 forming an open-sided figure, preferably but not necessarily bounded by small corner holes 22. A line 24 scored upon the outside surface preferably joins the ends of the slit. The slit 20 passes completely through the wall, whereby the tab may be protruded, when desired, by simply pushing it outwardly with a finger. The scored line 24 facilitates the bending of the box material, and insures that the entire tab is protruded; but where the box material is sufiiciently light, as is thin cardboard for example, the score may be dispensed with altogether in accordance with usual practice in the manufacture of cut-out paper or cardboard assemblies.

Handle cut-outs, formed by slits 28 and scored lines 30, are provided in any wall or walls of the body portion which may be selected for carrying convenience. These cut-outs may, as illustrated, pass completely through the body wall. The spaces 32 resulting from protruding the cut-outs outwardly to form the handle may be left open, as illustrated, or covered by a suitable partial lining or reinforcement glued or otherwise secured to the wall on the inside thereof. The handle cut-outs may also be formed in a separate piece of material which is either glued or otherwise secured to the outside of the body wall in a conventional manner, or inserted as shown it Fig. 6 and hereinafter described.

In the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 1, the'handle 24 and tabs 18 are convenientlyandinexpensively former the method of assembling a in the box blank as a part of the operation in which the blank is cut out and scored during the feeding of a continuous web of box material through appropriate cutting and sco ng di ol s- Th no a t na m e ia s needed, and formation of the cut-outs does not require an additional step in fabrication. All that is required is to provide additional dies in the blanking machine. The blank is cutout, folded and glued in a conven itmal manner, with the cut-outs ,unprotr'uded.

The cover 34 ,is preferably but not necessarily formed so as to fit nestingly over the rims of the body portion. The side walls 36 of the cover are preferably frictionally engaged with the outer surfaces of the body side walls. Alternatively, the body and .cover may be of the hinged .type which is fabricated from acne-piece blank, and which may be provided on one to three sides with said walls similar to those illustrated.

When fitted to the body of the carton, the cover side walls extend towards but preferably do not reach the tabs 18. The assembled box is of uniform dimensions and does not have protruding parts to interfere with regular stacking for display ,or storage purposes.

When it is desired to convert the carton into a caijrying parcel, the tabs 18 and handle 26 are manually protruded, the contents are placed in position, and the cover is fitted. The cover is then secured to the body portion in any of several convenient ways by means of a tie 38 which passes over the cover and under the tabs 18, but not necessarily completely around the carton. The tie may be a continuous elastic band, as illustrated, or it may simply be a fabric, metal, or paper string, wire, cord or tape, or the equivalent of any of these. Itmay be passed between a pair of opposite tabs, as illustrated, or under a series of ,tabs in a zig-zag or criss-crcss fashion. It is not necessary to knot the tie provided sufiicient turns are employed, and provided that the holes 22, if any, are not so large as to prevent gripping of the tie material passing therethrough. Loose ends of the tie may be tucked into the box through the tab or handle openings, if desired.

The particular method of tying is largely .a matter of choice and may be determined in part by considerations of appearance. According to one arrangement, a distincto bring the ends together, the ends being then secured together with a knot or with glued paper or a covered wire. The ends may be secured both to each other and -to the top or a side of the box by a distinctive glued paper or foil seal or other emblem. 'When the ends are thus secured, the seal performs a decorative function as :well as the useful one of preventing the tie from becoming disengaged with the tabs.

Additional security is readily provided after the tie is secured to the carton by simply pushing the tabs into the ox with a finger. This not only protects the tabs from being inadvertently torn while protruding from the sides of the carton, but provides resistance to the subsequent withdrawal of the tabs in the form of friction at the slit edges.

In cases Where the tie tends to bend the tabs upwardly due to the tension, the score line 24 may be caused to connect two points of the slit 20 somewhat below the holes 22, so that the tension is applied to an unbent portion of the tab. 7

In cases where the cover side walls are of appreciable thickness, it is possible, especially where an elastic band is employed as a tie, to cause the tension applied to the edge of the cover side wall to have a component normal to the outer body side wall surface. This requires that the corners 22 of the tabs 18 be close to, but preferably not immediately under, the edges of the cover side walls. In this manner, thefriction between the cover and body side walls is increased to supplement the tension component tending to draw the cover more tightly onto the body portion.

It-willLbe noted that the carton when adapted for carrying, provides a large surface (the back surface as viewed inFig. 2) with which the tie does not come into contact. This surface is conveniently used when setting the carton upon a rough surface which might abraid the tie or, when setting it upon any surface which, by reason of its temperature or the chance presence of water or other wetting or corroding substance, might so injure the tie material as to lessen its strength. For example, a paper tape might be aflYected by water, and a rubber band by the heat from radiator. It will also be noted that, as'contrasted with the alternative of wrapping the two elastic bands entirely around the carton, there are four strands holding the cover in Place. ra he than on t o As previously indicated, various types of carrying handles may be used on the carton, depending upon such factors as the permissible cost, the type of handle, and the desired strength of the handle as compared with that afforded by the .box material. Suitable handle construc- .tions will hereinafter be described, so as to permit, in association with the cover-retaining means, a package or container of maximum convenience and effectiveness.

Instead of using supplementary tying means in conjunction with the small tabs, integral coverrretaining means may be provided. Figs. 3 to 6 illustrate a preferred embodiment of this category, wherein the tab cut-outs in the body portion are arranged for direct engagement with the cover side walls. An alternative form of carrying handle, also illustrated, is described subsequently.

Referring to Fig. 3, the tabs 40 are formed by cutting dies in the blanking machine, which produce acute angular slits 42 reaching the edges bounding the open longitudinal sides of the body portion 44 of the carton. Score lines .46 joining the lower ends of the slits are also formed, if required to facilitate bending the tabs outwardly. To receive the tabs, the cover 48 for the carton has a pair of straight, longitudinal slits 50 (see Fig. 5) which are cut in the mid portions of the longitudinal side walls, each slit being placed in position to receive one of the tabs .40 on the body portion of the carton.

To secure the cover to the body portion, the tabs 40 are first bent outward slightly as illustrated in Fig. 3. Then, the cover 48 is preferably grasped as shown in Fig. 5, with the thumbs resting upon the upper longitudinal side edges directly over the slots and the forefingers en? gaging the lower edges of the side walls immediately thereunder. This action opens the slits 50 to facilitate engagement of the tabs therewith when the cover, held as indicated, is lowered over the body portion.

After the tabs have been received into the slits 50, the end portions defined by the angular slits 42 are bent outwardly to lock the tabs onto the cover, as fully illustrated in Fig. 6.

T 0 provide for a carrying handle, a rectangular slot 52 is cut out of the blank in the sidewall of the body portion of the carton in which the handle is to be received. A cut-out handle insert 54 of cardboard or other suitable material is formed as illustrated in Fig. 4. This consists of a handle portion 56 and a similar handle portion 58 having a tab 60 which may be bent inwardly through the portion 52 to provide a smooth gripping surface. This insert is preferably placed flat upon the bottom or along one side of the carton when the latter is in use for storage purposes.

For conversion to a carrying parcel, the handle portions 56 and 58 are bent upwardly and the insert is received into the slot 52 as shown in Fig. 6. It will be noted that the length of one side of the handle insert is preferably equal to the height of the carton side walls, while the length of the other side is sufficiently longer than the slot 52 to furnish adequate support for the handle.

According to an alternative construction, added reinforcement for the handle, as well as securing means for the cover, are provided 'by using a cover having a Wall of sufficient length on the side where the handle islocated to overlap the slot 52. In that case, an additional slot is cut out of the cover wall and the handle passes through the walls of both the body portion and the cover.

Figs. 7 and 8 illustrate an alternative form of handle that may be used with the cover engaging and securing means of Fig. 2 or Fig. 6. This consists of a strip 62 of appropriate material such as a heavy fiber paper or cardboard, having notched end portions 64 which are inserted through slits 66 in the :carton. After the ends of the handle are thus inserted, the notched corners engage the box material as shown in Fig. 8, to prevent the handle from pulling out.

It will be understood that other modifications substantially in accordance with the teachings of this invention may be effected without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, We claim:

A portable shoe carton having an open-sided rectangular body portion having a centrally located slot and a securing tab in a side adjacent the open side, the securing tab consisting of a pair of slits each reaching the edge bounding the open side at an angle thereto and spaced to permit the intervening box material to be bent outwardly at an angle, the tab being narrowest adjacent said opening, a handle member consisting of a flat portion lying within the body portion adjacent said side and a handle projecting from the flat portion through said slot, and a cover having side walls joined at the edges and adapted to engage frictionally with the outer surfaces of the body walls, said cover having in a side wall a substantially straight slit adapted to receive said outwardly bent securing tab, the flat portion of the handle member extending substantially over the portion of the body side Wall including the tab, and the tab having cuts adjacent said slits and substantially along the line of said bending to form end portions adapted to be bent in relation to the tab to lock the tab onto the cover.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 117,349 Tuttle July 25, 1871 961,784 Matthews June 21, 1910 1,249,098 Huye ..Dec. 4, 1917 1,745,770 Shapiro Feb. 4, 1930 1,778,236 Trautman Oct. 14, 1930 1,975,510 Hiatt Oct. 2, 1934 2,015,625 Harrison Sept. 24, 1935 2,155,530 Crook Apr. 25, 1939 2,663,485 Johnson Dec. 22, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 122,083 Great Britain Jan. 16, 1919 

